My 7 Days of Art

This last week has been a stressful week for multiple reasons. First, like many people, I have been watching the news and staying updated on the Covid-19 pandemic and everything that entails. Secondly I am an introvert, but I’ve had house guests for the last few days. The third and final reason for my stress is being off work and worrying about my students needs being met when they cannot come to school. My blog last week challenged people to join me in turning our fear or in my case stress into beauty by taking part of some form of artistic expression everyday this week. I chose to include at least 30 minutes of art somewhere in my day everyday this last week. Todays blog will tell you about the art I did as well as how it impacted my life.

Day 1 was filled with Sunday chores. It included editing and adding to my weekly blog. Yes, writing is art because it is creative. We also worked hard getting the office reorganized so I can work from home if/when needed. I have to admit that I really love to organize things. Organizing makes me feel like anything is possible.

Day 2 I got busy doing weekly chores and getting ready for our family to arrive, a visit that has been planned for months. By the end of the day I had almost forgotten that I said I would include art because I was so busy. Instead of giving up and just skipping the day I chose to follow through on my own challenge. After all, if I can’t rely on my self to keep my promise who can I rely on? As I was sitting on the couch with Anthony enjoying our evening I remembered that I had started knitting him a scarf a couple months ago, but when I injured my thumb I quit knitting to let it heal. It was the perfect way to end the day.

I learned to knit from my grandma when I was around 10 years old. My very first project was a pair of slippers made from my grandma’s very own pattern. For a long time I didn’t knit regularly, but would randomly pick it up again and again. In college I had a friend who knitted all the time and it reminded me how much I enjoyed it, so I started again on a more regular basis. Now, I don’t knit all the time, but sometimes it just feels right. The picture below shows the i progress scarf I’m making for Anthony.

Day 3 we picked up our house guests from the airport and spent the day with them. Its always wonderful to spend time with family! The day went so fast that it was almost gone when I realized that yet again I almost forgot about my art. Thankfully I remembered so I got out my sketch book and started sketching. It wasn’t a picture of anything in particular, just a design. I also worked a bit in my dot journal creating beautiful lists. The picture below shows the sketch before any color was added.

Day 4 was another busy day of running errands and spending time with family. Making a dinner of enchiladas from taco leftovers. Cooking is one of my creative outlets. After dinner I continued working my sketch and adding color and pattern to it. Here is a picture of my sketch as I began to add color.

Day 5 I started the day with some sketching while I drank my coffee and watched the news. The rest of the day was filled will errands and family time. Bubble fights and throwing the ball for Jemma filled my afternoon. In the evening I sat down and knitted some, and drew some. Mainly I enjoyed family and art at the same time. Here is another picture of my sketch as I added more color and pattern. I have not finished the background at this point, but it just a fun study of color and pattern.

Day 6 started with some knitting. Again the day was filled with family fun. We celebrated a birthday and enjoyed the outdoors. Most of the day was spent in the warm sunshine and being thankful for the time we have together. I also spent some time in the art room reorganizing some shelves and sorting through supplies to see what needed restocked. The day ended with relaxing on the couch watching tv, knitting and drawing some more.

Day 7 I decided that it was very relaxing to start the day with art, so I knitted for a while while I drank my coffee. After the initial relaxing of the morning I got busy doing weekly chores. Laundry, vacuuming, dusting, dishes, and whatever else needed to be done. With more people in the house there is more to do, but the family time is worth it! The evening went fast spending time with family that would be leaving for home in a day. More bubble fights, digging in the dirt, cartoon watching, and laughing together. Once everyone settled down for the evening I sat on the couch and knitted some more.

After completing 7 days of intentionally adding art to my day I have learned several things. At first it was hard to make time and almost felt annoying to require it of myself, but after the first 5 minutes I noticed a happiness wash over me. My introverted self was able relax and let go of all the stress of the day. I got lost in my own thoughts and realized that I was smiling for no particular reason. Everyday I was creative it became easier and more relaxing. Ending the day with art became natural and a great way to wind down before bed. It was much more relaxing than looking at Facebook.

On the days that I started with art I noticed that I was able to go through the day with a lot less stress. It was like I started the day by centering myself and the I was even more productive and my anxiety was reduced. I also noticed on the days I began with art, I just looked for artistic outlets all day long. Ending the day with art also became easier and more natural.

Through all the stress in our current reality being creative has helped me feel less restless and more free. I am going to continue the next 7 days with art everyday. I’ll let you know how it goes. In the meantime I would love to hear from you. Did you incorporate art in your day this last week? What are your creative outlets? Share your pictures and stories in comments or on social media and #thystledesign so we can see them. If you have children who enjoy art feel free to share their art too! Let’s come together and share beauty with each other! Happiness is a state of mind, not a place we can go or an activity in which we participate. I hope your doing well in this time of social distancing, and remember that we can still encourage and support each other from a distance. Until next time...keep on creating!